Description

F.M.R.A. New York: Andrew Alpern, 1980. Clamshell box, 9 x 6½ inches, containing 37 drawings printed on 23 sheets and 1 envelope of various sizes and colors of paper (two colored, several folded), plus illustrated title card, contents sheet, and colophon card. Dark khaki-green cloth over boards, spine lettered in gilt. Lettered and signed by the author on the colophon and signed by the publisher on the contents sheet.

One of 26 lettered copies intended for the use of the author and publisher; an additional 400 copies, identical except for the color of their box, were numbered and signed for the trade. Three lettered copies and ten numbered copies have been additionally signed by Andrew Alpern in 2024 for the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust.

A collection of loose prints of drawings by Edward Gorey compiled and published by collector and scholar Andrew Alpern. The artwork was generally culled from a large collection Mr. Gorey had left on deposit at the Gotham Book Mart, a combination of unpublished drawings and drawings made for periodicals and holiday greeting cards that had never been reprinted. The title, pronounced, “ephemera,” was chosen by Mr. Gorey, who also provided the lettering and a self-portrait for the title leaf.

Mr. Alpern, an architect, attorney, and historian, later donated his expansive collection of Edward Gorey books, ephemera, and collectible merchandise to Columbia University; it was shown at the Butler Library’s 2012 exhibition, Gorey Preserved: The Collection of Andrew Alpern. In memory of his friend, George Bixby, founder of the Albondocani Press who assisted in the project and died in 2023, Mr. Alpern has donated these remaining sets to the Trust for sale to support our mission. At our request, he has signed the contents sheet of each box.

Toledano A78a.

Fine Print

Yay! No fine print